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Nigerian champions Edo Queens secured a dramatic semi-final spot at the CAF Women’s Champions League after coming from behind to defeat defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in a thrilling encounter at Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca, on Saturday, Sunday PUNCH reports. Despite needing just a draw to advance, the West African champions found themselves trailing in
Dokan Karji Community in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State has called on the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and the Federal Government to urgently deploy additional military forces to help halt the constant kidnappings and killings carried out by bandits. In a press statement made available to newsmen on Monday through
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Dokan Karji Community in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State has called on the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and the Federal Government to urgently deploy additional military forces to help halt the constant kidnappings and killings carried out by bandits. In a press statement made available to newsmen on Monday through
A Nigerian beauty queen, Hassana Ozohu Salisu has recounted her experience using the Itakpe-Warri train service. Queen Hassana is the current Miss Nollywood International. In this interview with DAILY POST, she sheds light on critical issues plaguing the nation’s railway system, highlighting the urgent need for reform to save lives, enhance comfort, and restore dignity
INTERVIEW: Nigeria railway system a mess – Miss Nollywood international, Hassana
A Nigerian beauty queen, Hassana Ozohu Salisu has recounted her experience using the Itakpe-Warri train service. Queen Hassana is the current Miss Nollywood International.
In this interview with DAILY POST, she sheds light on critical issues plaguing the nation’s railway system, highlighting the urgent need for reform to save lives, enhance comfort, and restore dignity for citizens.
Can you tell us about your experience when you boarded a train from Itakpe to Warri recently?
I was scheduled to travel by train. I and other travelers arrived at the train station by 10:00 am to catch a train scheduled to depart at 2:00 pm. Unfortunately, the train ended up leaving at 7:30 pm, five and a half hours later than anticipated.
This glaring inefficiency wasn’t just an inconvenience; it posed real risks to the safety and security of passengers. The lack of security personnel on the train heightened these concerns, making an already stressful situation all the more perilous.
Those who eventually boarded the train quickly discovered that it was full to capacity, with people crammed into the couches like sardines.
Passengers from various states found themselves jostling in overcrowded compartments, many enduring the indignity of using bottled water containers as makeshift toilets. Women cried in anguish as they held in their bladders, with the toilets— locked with padlocks— rendered completely useless.
Mechanical failures compounded the misery, as prolonged loading of baggage stretched the ordeal even further— up to 40 minutes at each stop. This disheartening scene painted a vivid picture of the railway services that are supposed to provide safe, reliable, and convenient transport for the people.
Instead, they have become an oppressive burden, showcasing a system that has failed its citizens.
With your experience, are you saying the government is paying lip service to the railway system?
To me, the Government should do more rather than pay lip service to the railway system. Nothing is working from the look of things. I would like to ask questions about the responsibilities of the Nigerian government and the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
How can a nation that generates significant revenue from its railway services allow such a disgraceful experience to occur? Is it not the duty of the government to invest in a system that prioritizes the comfort and safety of its citizens, especially when those systems are part of its own infrastructure? These are questions begging for answers.
What are your calls to the relevant authorities?
My call to action is very clear: the railway authorities must prioritize service improvement and ensure that the railway network becomes viable and a safe option for citizens. The difficulties faced during the holiday season are just a microcosm of a more extensive problem that has plagued the railway system for years.
This issue extends beyond just poor railway services. Nigeria’s economic struggles manifest in various ways, particularly impacting the youth who are desperately seeking job opportunities and entrepreneurial support.
It is unacceptable that, in a nation blessed with resources, its young population bears the brunt of mismanagement. The Minister of Transportation, Saidu Ahmed Alkali, has a crucial role to play in bringing about the necessary reforms.
As Nigerians, we deserve better. The grievances expressed by travellers must not fall on deaf ears. We must call upon our leaders, not only to acknowledge these issues but to take immediate and decisive action to remedy them. It is vital for our nation’s progress that we invest in infrastructure that genuinely serves the people and empowers them.
Nigeria’s title as the “Giant of Africa” should not merely be a label; it must be a reflection of our realities. Let us collectively demand accountability and urge our leaders to pave the way for a brighter future.
Together, we can reclaim our status and ensure that every citizen enjoys a standard of living that corresponds with the abundance of resources our nation possesses. It is time for reform— let us make it happen.
INTERVIEW: Nigeria railway system a mess – Miss Nollywood international, Hassana
Activist lawyer Deji Adeyanju has denied begging the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to support his then ambition of emerging as the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Adeyanju maintained that Wike lied about him begging for his support. Speaking in Abuja, Wike had accused Adeyanju of attacking him
I never begged you – Adeyanju fires back at Wike
Activist lawyer Deji Adeyanju has denied begging the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to support his then ambition of emerging as the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Adeyanju maintained that Wike lied about him begging for his support.
Speaking in Abuja, Wike had accused Adeyanju of attacking him after he refused to support his ambition to emerge as the PDP spokesman.
Faulting Adeyanju for criticising him over the recent demolitions in the FCT, Wike described the activist as a jobless lawyer.
Reacting, Adeyanju said people like Wike should be in jail for electoral fraud and stealing of “our patrimony.”
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Adeyanju said: “My only crime against Wike is that I have decided to do constructive criticism against him and his anti-people policies in the FCT and issues around land-grabbing of poor people’s homes and giving them to his friends.
“Thank God that in his reply he has not faulted us for the allegations he raised. He said, ‘Yes, he’s giving the lands that he’s grabbing to his friends, that should he give the lands to his enemies?’
“These are the kind of people that are ruling our country, people that should be in jail for corruption, stealing, and electoral fraud. They are the ones that want to give lectures on morality.
“He allegedly said I came to him and begged him to be National Publicity Secretary of PDP, all Nigerians know that I resigned from politics eight years ago and that event happened before I resigned.
“Over the years, when I criticize him, he calls me that he does not want to be criticized. When I was actively in politics, I met every governor of PDP then. I have never seen where consultation with party leaders will be tagged as begging.
“Wike never said to my face that he won’t support me; he told me twice that he would support me. Whenever you challenge him, he will call you and there is nothing I’m saying that I don’t have the receipt. He does not like to be challenged because he has this God complex; should elders not be people who are confident, who if you do something with it’s safe with them?
“Assuming I went to beg him, which is false, should he call a presser and start crying about nine years later? I consulted with all PDP stakeholders, then I went round all the zones in this country—both when I wanted to be National Publicity Secretary and when the party now changed it to my zone, North Central. Everybody endorsed me over eight years ago. David Mark and all the leaders from the North Central endorsed me.”
I never begged you – Adeyanju fires back at Wike
